That’s me: Akasha Bakri showing his self portrait which clinched the gold medal at the Kosice Portrait Biennale 2025 competition held in Slovakia.
JOHOR BARU: A group of Sekolah Seni Malaysia (SSeMJ) Johor students stamped their mark on the international art stage after clinching six gold medals at the Kosice Portrait Biennale 2025, one of Europe’s prestigious portrait competitions for young artists around the world.
One of them is Akasha Bakri Mohd Hairul Baharuddin, who won the top honour with a self-portrait that explores complex human emotions.
Currently studying Visual Arts, the Form Two student said he was shocked when he was announced as the gold medal winner.
“I was surprised and happy. It felt like a dream,” he said, adding that the recognition had shown him that consistent effort, even at a young age, could lead to big achievements.
Akasha Bakri said his self-portrait depicted three different characters, each embodying a distinct emotion, which is joy, sorrow and fear.
The artwork was inspired by his own internal emotional struggles and feelings that were often difficult to express in words.
He said the biggest challenge was not the technical aspect of the painting but to ensure the emotions felt real and alive.
“Technique can be learned but transferring emotions onto the artwork is the hardest part.”
He credited his family as his strongest source of support, saying they believed in his talent even before he had confidence in himself.
He also thanked his teachers and coaches, who have guided him to see art more deeply, as well as his friends who encouraged him during stressful periods while completing the artwork.
Looking ahead, Akasha Bakri said he viewed the achievement as a starting point.
“I want to keep learning and improving with every artwork.
“This win is just the beginning of many steps I still need to climb,” he said.
He hoped his success would inspire other young Malaysians to pursue art seriously and believed that age is not a barrier to achieving international recognition.
“One day, I hope to bring Malaysian art to a higher level on the global stage,” he said.
Meanwhile, the school’s visual art trainer, Nor Alisa Jamaluddin, said a total of 36 artworks coming from Form One to Form Three students were sent to the competition held in Slovakia.
“We send the artworks via a postal service on May 13. The result was announced on Dec 1.
“We have entered many international artwork competitions before, but this is the first time that we participated in Kosice Portrait Biennale.
“Through our students’ hard work, they won six gold and two bronze medals and four honourable mention. Our school is very proud of them,” she said.
